Class of 1946
Ronald K. Getoor
Internationally recognized mathematician specializing in probability theory
One of the founders of the modern theory of Markov processes
Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics
Professor of Mathematics, University of California, San Diego
Inducted into Royal Oak High School Hall of Fame, 1998
Ronald K. Getoor is a graduate of Royal Oak High School in 1946. He followed his mother, who was a ROHS graduate in 1927. She was a member of the first class to graduate from the "new" high school building.
After high school Ronald Getoor attended the University of Michigan where he earned a bachelor's degree with distinction. He continued his studies at the U of M where he earned both a master's degree and a doctorate in mathematics.
Dr. Getoor served as an instructor at Princeton University and professor at the University of Washington in Seattle before locating at the University of California, San Diego as a full professor. Advancement to the rank of full professor is "reserved for scholars and teachers of the highest distinction, whose work has been internationally recognized and acclaimed and whose teaching performance is excellent".
While serving as a professor he continued his studies as a National Science Foundation postdoctoral fellow at MIT and as a fellow at the Institute of Mathematical Statistics. Throughout his career Dr. Getoor was in demand as a guest lecturer at Stanford University, as well as a speaker at international conferences and universities in Germany, Denmark, France, China, the Netherlands.
Along with colleagues P. A. Meyer in France and E. B. Dynkin in the Soviet Union, Ronald Getoor became a ground breaking pioneer in probability and responsible for the rapid development of the general theory of the Markov processes. He published two books, a monograph and over 90 research articles in mathematical journals. His skill as a mathematician and a writer led him to positions as editor and associate editor for several mathematical publications.
In 1998 Dr. Ronald K. Getoor was inducted into the Royal Oak High School Hall of Fame.